Everton star Jordan Pickford has just matched legendary Gordon Banks feat for England
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is on the verge of making history for England.
Pickford is set to sign a new contract at Everton, and the Toffees will be delighted to be keeping hold of the Three Lions number one.
The 31-year-old was largely untested as England smashed Serbia 5-0 in Belgrade on Tuesday, with the home side failing to produce even a shot on target.
Pickford was told that the England starting spot in goal was his to lose, and the goalkeeper looks to be enjoying that security.
Tyler Dibling has impressed for England Under-21s, as well, providing an assist on Monday against Kazakhstan.
Jordan Pickford equals Gordon Banks’ record
After keeping a clean sheet against Andorra, Pickford had not conceded in 540 minutes for England.
That number has now surpassed 600 minutes, amounting to more than 10 hours of football since the goalkeeper picked the ball out of his net in a competitive international match.
Even more impressively, Pickford has now matched a record first set by the great World Cup-winning Gordon Banks.
| Jordan Pickford – Clean sheets for England |
| Serbia 0-5 England |
| England 2-0 Andorra |
| Andorra 0-1 England |
| England 3-0 Latvia |
| England 2-0 Albania |
| England 5-0 Ireland |
| Greece 0-3 England |
England’s clean sheet against Serbia on Tuesday marked the Everton shot-stoppers’ seventh in a row, equalling a record set, first by Banks, before it was previously matched by Pickford himself.
More importantly, the 31-year-old now has an opportunity to beat the record and make history.
Pickford will have the opportunity to do exactly that, when England play Latvia in Riga on 14 October in their next game of the World Cup qualifiers.
Jordan Pickford is England royalty
Pickford’s position in goal for England has been constantly questioned. Challengers, such as the likes of Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale, have always been talked up as potential successors.
But the Everton goalkeeper has always offered something none of his competitors can – consistency.
Pickford has, quite simply, never let England down. Whether it was the penalty save in the 2020 Euros final, or the stunning reach to prevent Colombia knocking the Three Lions out of the 2018 World Cup, Pickford has always been there.
And that is exactly why manager after manager has constantly opted for the 31-year-old. The goalkeeper is yet to win a trophy in goal for England, but creating a piece of history would mean just as much.
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